SPARTANS THERAPIST WITH CANADIAN TEAM AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES

SPARTANS THERAPYTUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2010COMMONWEALTH GAMES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPARTANS THERAPIST WITH CANADIAN TEAM AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES

LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans head therapist Natalie Ghobrial is currently at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India as an athletic therapist with the Canadian Medical team.

Ghobrial, who has been with the Spartans since 2006, was selected to be one of four athletic therapists who will tend to Canadian athletes. And, for the York University graduate, it’s one of those invaluable opportunities that will go a long way in Ghobrial’s continued development as a leading therapist in the CIS.

“Being involved in major games has always been a goal of mine,” Ghobrial said. “I started off being involved with some provincial and then national team programs. Since then, the Lord has continued to open up doors and bless me with the opportunity to work at the FISU Games (International University Sports Federation), Vancouver 2010 Olympics and now the Commonwealth Games.”

Ghobrial worked at the 2009 FISU Games as a dedicated therapist for the Canadian women’s soccer team and then, at the Vancouver Games, she was part of the host medical staff for short track speed skating. But this is her first experience being part of the Canadian Core Medical team for a major event.

“It truly is a great honour to be selected to represent your country and care for our country’s athletes,” she said. “I’m really excited for the opportunity to work with colleagues and learn from their experiences not only in their daily professions but in their experiences at various major games."

While, as an athletic therapist, Ghobrial’s first concern is obviously the athletes in Delhi, she’s very much also thrilled with the chance to learn from some of the best and bring that back to Trinity Western.

“I’m always interested in learning different perspectives on assessing and treating injuries, learning new techniques and collaborating with various other practitioners. Essentially, I want to obtain multiple tools from various areas to share with our staff, to make our program better, and to also better care for our Spartans with the newly gained knowledge and experience.”

Ghobrial, will return from the Commonwealth games Sunday and will be back on the TWU campus early the following week.